Talking Comics Presents: December 12

Ladies and gentlemen, it is yet another Batman week, Matt Fraction continues to be to Presents as Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin are to SNL, we got a fantastic trailer for the Man of Steel today, and the Hobbit comes out this Friday! A geek couldn’t have asked for more…But I will. And our comic shops have the mind to give it to us.

Batman #15, DC

Recommended by all of us!

There isn’t much left to say about Snyder and Capullo’s run on the Bat book. It’s all been said before, and yet they seem to keep topping themselves. Bruce and company are in deep stuff, and the Joker is not just terrorizing them; he’s taking it to Batman’s rogues too. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Revival Volume 1, IDW

Recommended by Stephanie Cooke

Revival has been one of the best surprises of the year. It’s a horror/sci-fi book that is incredibly gripping and mysterious. I don’t particularly like aliens, but Revival has made them far more interesting than anything I have come across since the original Alien movie. Mike Norton and Time Seeley have crafted a fantastic opening to a series, and there is no time better than now to jump on.

Change #1 (of 4), Image

Recommended by Steve Seigh

If you could place bets in Vegas on whether or not comic books would be fantastic, then any Image title would be a safe place to wager your entire life’s savings. Change #1 by Ales Knot and Morgan Jeske looks to continue the recent string of success for the publisher. Change follows a screenwriter/car thief, a rapper, and a former cosmonaut and their dealing with the weird stuff that goes on in Los Angeles. A lot of things seem to want to destroy L.A. (I think it’s a sign)

Avengers Arena #1, Marvel

Recommended by Travis McCollum

You like kids trying to destroy each other? You like the Hunger Games? What about that Battle Royale flick? Then Avengers Arena #1 should be right up your alley. 16 young superhumans are trapped on a deserted island and are given an ultimatum: kill each other or be killed. How do these youngsters get out of the situation? Will your favorite Marvel young-gun make it out alive? Your questions will only be answered in Avengers Assemble.

Fantastic Four #2, Marvel

Recommended by Bob Reyer

It’s that man again. Matt Fraction, if I am not mistaken, has made the Presents list every week except the inaugural publishing. That would be because he makes really, really good comics (apparently that is the key to getting on here). Our Fantastic Fans on the podcast have bestowed their blessing on Fraction’s first issue, and are ready for seconds! As this road winds you can rest assured that Fraction and Bagley will continue to spin a deep and touching story. Fraction has been playing with new places for the family to visit on Twitter, and it just makes me that much more excited for what’s to come.

Winter Soldier #13, Marvel

Recommended by Joey Braccino and Bob

Brubaker’s Cap epic has come to an end, but he has still yet to relinquish control of the other character that he has molded over the years. Bucky should probably write a “Thank You” letter to Ed when this is over with, because Brubaker has taken Cap’s little sidekick and turned him into a character that can carry his own title in the Marvel Universe. Bucky and the Black Widow continue their arc, and try and figure out just who the hell is hunting them down. With Brubaker inching ever closer toward Marvel’s door, you won’t want to miss an issue of how he sends off the Winter Soldier.

Others to watch for

Batgirl #15

It Girl and the Atomics #5

Love and Capes: What to Expect #5

Avengers Assemble #10 (Hereby referred to as Avengers: Never use the Popcorn Button #2)

Amazing Spider-Man #699.1

Emails by the Fire with Bob Reyer

(aka “Audrey, can you throw another copy of All New X-Men #3 on the fire, please?”)

It’s back! Of course, it is– it’s what keeps me going! I won’t keep you waiting for what you came for with my charm an whit, though, here’s this week’s nugget.

“Last week in this space, in speaking about Thunderbolts #1, someone asked the musical question “What could possibly go wrong with this team?” Well, practically everything with this piece of schweinerei. It starts poorly, and goes nowhere, with a by-the-numbers episodic story, and menza menz art. As to the nature of this still-unformed team, just because as individual items on the menu you enjoy cherries jubilee flambe, linguini with clam sauce, latkes with applesauce, S’mores, and pinkelwurst, that doesn’t mean you should throw them into a blender and hit “puree” and expect a strawberry shake when it’s done. I know this sounds harsh, but I’ve been reading this book since Kurt Busiek’s original #1, and this incarnation of the team, despite the “star” characters, pales in comparison to the “real”Thunderbolts, Jeff Parker’s Dark Avengers, whose issue #184 hits store shelves this week–accept no substitutes!!

(By the bye, as opposed to the coming Justice League, the “Iwo Jima” cover of this issue of Dark Avengers comes in one, and only one style…so far!)”

Hope you enjoy this as much as I do every week. Let us know how right we are below. Until next week, love you guys!

I actually worked without music last week for the first time in about 15 years! The trend did not continue. UnderOath provided the tunes this week.